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Memorandum

To: Mrs. Renee Pay

From: Matt Davis

Date: May 20, 2014

Re: Professional Speaker Analysis


I had the opportunity to attend the 14
th
Annual Leadership Conference at Utah Valley University
on Monday, October 21, 2013. The title of the conference was STEP UP: Fighting the Fear;
Finding Your Voice. Matt Townsend was the keynote speaker in the conference. He was an
exemplary speaker who used his own experiences to demonstrate his points. He was extremely
funny, but he was also very serious about what he was presenting. He did a great job speaking to
the students.
Organization
Matt Townsend demonstrated how it doesnt matter who you are, it only matters what you
choose to be. He talked about many of his own experiences in order to prove his point. He talked
about his failed attempt at the spelling bee that led to him being called loin boy. He talked about
a scout camp out where he accidentally bombed his friends with boiling jam. He talked about
visiting his friend Craig who had Multiple Sclerosis. When he visited him it didnt matter what
he said, because all that mattered was that he was there. He talked about taking a handicapped
girl to a school dance. When he smiled for pictures he realized that he was doing that for her,
rather than himself. He discussed teamwork, and how we can accomplish far more together than
alone. He finished off his presentation by telling us that if we want to see change in the world,
we must be that change.
The organizational pattern Matt Townsend used was Cause and Effect. He told a series of stories
that took place throughout his life. He would share a brief anecdote, and then he would tell us
what that led to. The cause was the short story, and the effect was the ultimate result of what
happened. I believe this was an effective way for him to organize his speech. It allowed him to
share funny stories, and relate them to lessons that he learned. He typically shared the cause first,
and later explained the effect. An example of his organization is evident in his story about one of
his scout camps. The cause was that he threw a can of jam into the fire. The effect was that it
blew up, and he became the jam-bomber. He used deductive reasoning to come to his
conclusion. He used many points to draw the conclusion that it doesnt matter who you are, it
matters what you choose to do. This organizational pattern was very effective for the audience of
mostly high school students. By telling many quick, short stories he was able to hold their
attention throughout his presentation.


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Supporting Material
Ethos
Ethos is defined as the speakers credibility. Ethos is established when the audience believes that
the speaker has an excellent knowledge of the subject matter and when they feel like he has good
morals. Matt Townsend demonstrated Ethos by being personally welcomed to the stage. He is
the founder and president of the Townsend Relation Center. This means that he is a leader in his
community, so he knows what he is talking about. He trained with the Franklin Covey program.
He has a Bachelors degree as well as a Masters in communications. He also has a doctorate in
Human Development. This lets the audience know that he has a firm grasp on the subject matter.
He has a weekly radio show on KSL and he advises KSL regularly. This introduction gave the
audience a small glimpse into his life. It allowed him to build credibility with the audience. He
later went on to say that he has lived in Salt Lake City his entire life. This builds personal
credibility with the audience, and it also means that his values are probably very similar with the
audiences. At the end of the presentation he used several quotes from famous people, which
added further credibility to his presentation.
Pathos
Pathos is defined as something that appeals to the audience emotionally. It makes the audience
feel motivated to listen to and act on what the speaker is saying. Matt Townsend demonstrated
Pathos throughout his presentation. His biggest use of Pathos in his speech was his humor. The
audience laughed at all of his jokes and stories. He directly appealed to the audience of teenagers
by talking about how much he loathes math. This is something that the majority of the students
could relate to. He was made fun of in school, which helped the audience pity and relate to him.
His parents went through a divorce, which is a very prominent issue in America. He appealed to
the young men in the audience by telling an experience he had from a Boy Scout camp. His final
emotional appeal was that he said he was afraid of many things, just like the audience. By
appealing to the emotions of his audience he was able to motivate them to listen to him. The
audience members were more inclined to act on what he was telling them. They felt like he was
someone they could really trust. Pathos is an incredibly powerful tool that must be used ethically,
and Matt Townsend was able to do that.
Logos
Logos is defined as appealing to logic and reason. Logos justify what the speaker is saying. Matt
Townsend demonstrated Logos through his organizational pattern. By using the cause and effect
pattern, he was able to logically prove his points. He said, You should be who you are, because
that is all you are. This statement is very logical, because you cant be something that you are
not. He said that if we are afraid, then we will not live up to our expectations. This is something
the audience understood because it made sense. The final way he demonstrated logos was in his
use of various sources. He shared stories about how teamwork accomplishes more than
individual work. The audience was able to see that teamwork had accomplished great things, so
they knew that it would work for them. Matt Townsends use of logos allowed the audience to
understand what he was saying. It allowed them to use reason to determine that what he was
saying was true.
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Delivery
Matt Townsend was a very prepared public speaker, and it was apparent in his presentation. He
wore a suit, so he was well dressed for the occasion. He walked in confidently, and had good
posture throughout the speech. As he spoke, he made eye contact with each individual member
of the audience. He moved his hands to emphasize what he was saying. Another way he
emphasized his points was by making facial expressions. To show different emotions felt in the
stories he would make different faces. At key points in his stories Mr. Townsend would slow
down the speed at which he was speaking. By using these techniques of delivery, he was able to
keep the audience interested in his presentation.
Another tool that Matt Townsend employed was the use of visual aids. He had a PowerPoint to
display pictures that went along with his speech. As he spoke he would refer back to the various
pictures. When he shared quotes at the end, he displayed them so the audience could read along
with what he was saying. This helped the students to understand what he was trying to say. Matt
Townsend effectively delivered his speech by using visual aids to in his presentation.
Motivation
Motivation is a critical element of any speech. It is what brings the audience to listen to the
speaker, and prompts them to act. Matt Townsend was very effective in motivating the audience.
His greatest motivation technique was to share personal experiences. He told the audience about
moments in his life where things looked dismal. He shared times when it seemed he could not
possibly overcome his challenges. He told the students that in spite of his many failures he was
able to succeed. This made the people in the audience feel like they could succeed. Matt
Townsend was an amazing success story. He succeeded in motivating the audience. Every
person at the presentation now knows that it is possible to succeed in the worst circumstances.
They know that it is possible for anyone to become a leader, so they will be more apt to become
a leader.